The Salvatores
by Cage The Elephant In The Room
Summary: Damon and Stefan Salvatore pretty much hate each other. But they're bonded together by more than just their hatred. And her name is Aurora. Elena/Stefan, Damon/Bonnie, OC/Jeremy.
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own anything affiliated with The Vampire Diaries.**

**Ahem. I don't write very often anymore, due to my time consuming academic life, but when I do find a spare second I do like to fiddle around with an abused plot line or two. For a little while now I've been hooked on the TV series _The Vampire Diaries _so I decided to give a fic a shot. And if you're going to read this there are a couple of things I'd like you to know about my writing:**

**a.) I do use cliche plot lines. The overused, abused, cheesy plot lines. I mean, it's FanFiction. I adore creativity, but it is difficult to come up with original, quality ideas. I'm just writing for fun, okay? :)  
b.) I love con-crit, I truly do. I even love it when someone points out a grammatical mistake. Don't be afraid to tell me what you think or what you'd like to see. Some of my greatest scenes (and I'm not claiming I'm a magnificent writer by ANY means) have been sparked by helpful reviews.  
c.) I will never ask you to review in exchange for an update. I think that's utter crap. I write because I like it. Period. I don't write so I can watch some number grow.**

**And that's it. I hope you enjoy this fic, but even if you don't I'd like to say thanks for clicking. :)**

* * *

First it was her eyes that bothered him. Not that they looked too different from how he remembered them. They were the same green eyes she'd been born with. The same distant glint was there. But there was something deeper going on in them that made him stay, and he wasn't the staying type. She didn't look angry, but she didn't look happy either. He knew she had most likely been alone for the last two decades and some odd years. But that look in her eyes...

Suddenly, so suddenly that anyone who would've walked past wouldn't have noticed, he realized what was truly bothering him. As he stared down at her, with her arms at her sides and her legs crossed, it was the fact that he cared for this annoying little twit. It was the fact that he couldn't leave without her and that he knew he wouldn't.

"What are you doing here?"

It was the only thing he could say to her now. After all the years spent apart, all the years spent in anger, all the years spent avoiding each other's paths...it had all finally caught up to them. And of course it was him making the demands. As it always was.

Her voice was like bells and his poker face nearly faltered at the sound. "Don't talk to me like that, Damon. I'm not a little girl anymore." She was calm, but assertive. As she always was.

He scoffed. "You will always be a little girl, Aurora. You should know that better than anyone."

"Physically, Damon. Just as you will always be nothing more than an angry, bitter - "

His hands twitched at the sound of her accusations, and he wouldn't allow her to continue any longer. "Let's not talk about me. What are you doing _here_?" he stressed. He figured that she must be here to start something up again, drive him insane just as Stefan had for over a century.

"What are _you _doing here, Damon?"

"I asked you first."

'Aurora' rolled her eyes. "I will never get a straight answer out of you." She then got up and dusted off her jeans. "Look. I'm not here because of you, okay?" She adjusted the messenger bag at her side and made to walk away.

He didn't want to stop her. Not really, at least.

"Wait."

The girl turned around, her left eyebrow arched into what can only be described as a question mark.

"If you're not here because of me, then you must be here for Stefan. Well, c'mon, little sister. Let me take you to him."

**

* * *

**

**Right. So I don't usually make my first chapters very long. Actually, I tend to make them super, super short. It's sort of like a teaser, y'know? But when/if I get around to writing the next installment, I can guarantee it will not be this short.**

**Reviews are appreciated! Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm avoiding my science fair project by posting a second update. Not sure if that's too soon in the game or what, but here it goes. Big, huge, special thanks to** _Danielle Salvatore_** and **_'StefansSoon2BeWife'_** for reviewing my first installment. That was majorly cool of you guys and I hope you like this next one. I'd also like to give a thanks to** JennaLeigh, MeliB1987, BigRed001, babyshan211, bloomsky,** and** VampireAtHeart1** for alerting.**

**And here we go again...**

* * *

"'Let me take you to him?' Cut the crap, Damon. In case you've forgotten, I've known you for a good while. I'm not falling for your little mind games anymore. I grew up, Damon. So do me a favor and just stay the hell away from me." Her voice raised a little; even she wasn't immune to aggravation. But she calmed down enough to say smoothly, "I don't want your help."

Faster than any normal human being could move, Damon was standing right in front of her and grasping her arm. She didn't even blink. She simply stared into his eyes, unafraid and distant.

"You don't walk away from me."

She threw him a small smile, and just as quickly as he had, was standing thirty feet behind him. "Why not? You taught me how."

And then she was gone, leaving her brother alone. But she didn't have to leave to do that. He was always alone.

Damon stood conflicted. He knew that he was faster and stronger than her; he easily could have stopped her. For now he would let her have her way. Their family reunion could wait.

* * *

Stefan Salvatore had no idea why, but he could sense that something was wrong. Well, not exactly wrong, but off. Something was very off. Quietly he glanced over to Bonnie just to see if she was sensing the same thing. But the witch showed no worry. Quite the opposite, actually. She looked happier than she had in weeks, immersed in girly conversation with Elena, and he wouldn't destroy it by asking her to use her powers.

Elena, on the other hand, could sense something bothering Stefan. Usually, he was very good at concealing his feelings, but she could tell that he wasn't happy about something. "Stefan? Is something wrong?" She and Bonnie both turned to look at the eternally damned 'young' man, waiting for a response.

Stefan smiled at the worried look on his girlfriend's face. It amused him, if he were to be completely honest. Imagine a charming human girl worrying over a bloodsucking vamp. It was a Damon-like feeling that he shook off immediately. His initial smile morphed into an even smaller grin of reassurance. "No, nothing. Something just felt weird for a moment."

"What kind of weird?" That same worried look on Elena's face showed him everything he had tried so hard to protect her from. She was afraid. Again.

He pulled her in closer, protectively. "Nothing you need to worry about. It's really nothing, I promise."

She didn't pull away from his embrace, but searched his eyes for anything that would give him away. "You promise this has nothing to do with..." She looked to Bonnie, who was looking down. She didn't want to talk about Damon; she didn't even want to think about Damon.

Stefan, too, took into consideration Bonnie's feelings, before responding. "No. Nothing to do with Damon. I would tell you if it was him."

Elena nodded slowly. "Alright. If you're sure everything's okay."

He squeezed her hand as Bonnie noisily left the table to refill her lemonade. "I'm positive."

* * *

Bonnie shook her head as she sucked down the rest of her lemonade. Those two were perfect for each other, she realized. They were both so worried about each other, ready to dive off cliffs for each other, while she, Bonnie, was more concerned with graduating high school and figuring out how to control her powers.

"Kind of makes you sick, doesn't it?"

Bonnie glanced to the girl next to her. She was filling up a lemonade, like her, as she nodded towards Elena and Stefan. She didn't want to seem rude, but she was getting awfully bad vibes from this girl. "Yeah, I guess you could say that," Bonnie offered. "But they're in love. I think it's kind of sweet."

The girl was hardly paying attention to her anymore and there was no longer a friendly grin attached to her. "Love. Right."

"I'm sorry, but are you new around here? You look like you're my age and I'm pretty sure I would've seen you around before...we don't get a lot of new kids." Bonnie refilled her cup and placed the lid back on it as she waited for the brunette to respond.

The girl turned away from Elena and Stefan and gave her full undivided attention. Instantly she seemed friendly and approachable again. "Yeah, well. You could say that. My family used to live here and now I'm sort of visiting for a while."

Bonnie's own smile faltered a little at the girl's claim. She didn't look much older than fifteen. "Just visiting? Are you here with your parents?"

"You sure ask a lot of questions." The girl didn't sound angry, just guarded.

"Sorry, I wasn't trying to - "

"No, I'm sorry. I am new. My parents died a long time ago and I'm what you would call..." the girl paused briefly, "an emancipated minor. It's just me."

Bonnie's eyes widened with sympathy. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to pry."

The girl shrugged. "There was no way you could have known. I'm Aurora, by the way."

"Bonnie."

Aurora took a sip of her lemonade. "So...would you mind introducing me to your friends? I just got here today and I don't really know anyone yet."

The witch nodded genuinely. This Aurora girl didn't seem too bad after all. "Sure. That's Elena, my best friend, and her boyfriend, Stefan."

Aurora followed just a step behind Bonnie. "They look very comfortable together," Aurora murmured softly. _My dearest Stefan. What have you done?_

* * *

"Hey, guys. This is Aurora. Aurora, this is Elena and Stefan." Bonnie introduced everyone to one another, completely unaware of the situation's intensity.

Stefan, always composed and never letting his guard down, nearly faltered at the sight of Aurora. This was his sister. Here. He knew exactly what was going on in her head, for she couldn't take her eyes off of Elena.

He had promised Elena no more lies and he wasn't about to break his promise again. "What are you doing here, Aurora?" Unlike Damon, he wasn't accusing her of anything. He was simply surprised to see her. He never would have anticipated this.

Bonnie and Elena glanced first to each other and then to Stefan. "You two know each other?" Elena asked.

Aurora crossed her arms and stared at Stefan. And then all three young women were staring at him. "Sit down, Aurora. If you would all just let me explain, I can answer all of your questions right now."

"Why should I have any questions, Stefan? I thought we were past all the lies. Who is she?" Elena's eyes flickered over to Aurora, but the girl didn't bother to acknowledge it. "What haven't you told me, Stefan?"

Stefan sighed. "I didn't think I would ever see you again. That's why I never mentioned you. I'm sorry." It was as if they were reading each other's thoughts, because Aurora hadn't said a single word.

But at what he did say, Aurora could only manage a brief string of laughter. "You haven't seen me in thirteen years so that makes it okay not to tell this Katherine clone about your one and only sister?"

Bonnie and Elena's breath hitched. "Sister?" Elena questioned. "You have a _sister_?"

Aurora answered for him. "Yes, he does. Her name is Aurora. She's technically fifteen and twenty-seven days old, she likes to read and she hasn't seen her brothers in over a decade. Nice to meet you. Oh, wait. Could someone please explain to me why the bitch has been reincarnated? Because I'm about ten seconds away from ripping her heart out of her chest. And none of us...well maybe some of us...would like that, now would we?"

* * *

**I'm the queen of cliffhangers. Rawr. As always, reviews are appreciated. I don't use them as incentive to update, but they do serve as great motivation. :) Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I have to be one-hundred percent honest...I was _not _expecting much of a response to this story. I figured I'd just fiddle around with it whenever I had some free time and if I got a review or two here and then, an alert maybe, then that would just be a super cool bonus. Nevertheless, I am happy that you guys are liking it so far. :)**

**Special thanks to the kids who alerted, and because I was too freaking lazy to send you all actual responses...**

**babyshan211**: I think I already responded to you, but I just wanted to say thank you again! I'm hoping that you like my OC and the story. :)  
**StefansSoon2BeWife**: No problem on the shoutout at all. :) I appreciate anyone who reviews or alerts or just _reads _this. It's an amazing compliment. So, thank _you_.  
**KJCullenHatterSalvitoreBloome**: Wow, your penname is a mouthful! Haha. I'm really glad that you like it so far! And I was going for a nice blend of Stefan/Damon. :) Hopefully you like Aurora! ^_^  
**Pegasus0012**: Interesting, eh? :) Well...I know the plot's not exactly the most creative thing ever, but I do hope that you enjoy this next installment.  
**Danielle Salvatore**: Thank you! I'm really glad that you're enjoying it so far! It's been fun just writing it and knowing that someone else enjoys it is absolutely amazing. :)  
**TriGemini**: I know that I responded to you already, but I just wanted to say thanks for reviewing and I hope you enjoy this next installment. :)  
**JennaLeigh**: Badass, she is! Hahaha. _I _am very obsessed with the show as well, and I'm glad you're liking this! Hopefully you'll like what is to come, too. :)

**And without further adieu...here's the next installment. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Stefan tensed as Aurora glared at his and Elena's entwined fingers. He was hesitant to speak to his sister; they had never been especially close. Even with Damon, he was an easy read, easy to figure out and even easier to manipulate. Aurora was different. She was reasonable, but headstrong. Like Damon. But she wasn't Damon, no matter how much he tried to convince himself that they were one in the same.

"I can explain, Aurora. Just listen to me, please?"

The younger Salvatore crossed her arms, offering no verbal retort. Instead she shrugged. She had no real interest in his explanation. No amount of words could sustain her hatred for this Katherine clone. She wore the same face of the bitch who had murdered her brothers. And for that she couldn't accept her. She wouldn't.

Stefan exhaled. "She's not Katherine. She's not a vampire," he said, lowering his voice. "Don't condemn her, Aurora. Not because of Katherine."

"_Stop _telling me what to do." She was getting angry, not angry enough to cause a scene, but enough to ruin the Katherine clone's pretty little face. "We aren't kids anymore. We're hardly even family."

His eyes softened at this. She was right, of course. If someone had asked him to choose between Aurora and Elena he wouldn't have to think for a second. He knew who he would choose. It had been a very long time since he had referred to Aurora and Damon as family. If anything at all, they shared nothing in common but a thirst for damnation and a surname.

"You're my sister and I'm asking you to let me explain. Please, Aurora. I know you have no reason to trust me, but I can promise you that Elena is _not _Katherine."

"Her face, Stefan. _Look _at her. She's a dead ringer for - "

"She's not Katherine," another voice said, interrupting her rant. "She's your All-American It girl. But you are right, Rora. She does look like her. Even Stefan can't lie - he thought she was Katherine when he first saw her, too. Right, bro?"

Bonnie visibly tensed as Damon smirked at the looks on everyone's faces. Elena glared at him and was about to say something before Stefan did instead. "Damon."

"What? You can't honestly tell me you're surprised that I showed up. C'mon, guys! It's the family reunion we've all been looking forward to!"

Aurora rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right. I've hardly been here for five minutes and I'm already regretting this."

Damon kneeled down to the table so that he was facing Aurora. "Yeah, about that. Why _are _you here? I mean, you said it yourself. You're not here for me. You were surprised about Elena. Stefan didn't know you were coming. So, you going to tell us what you're hiding or are we going to have to force it out of you?" All the while he was speaking he had been twisting a pencil he'd lifted from one of the waitresses around in his hands. The implication was clear, and everyone sitting down suddenly wished they were anywhere else.

* * *

"So, let me get this straight. _You_," she pointed to Elena, "aren't Katherine."

Elena sighed, nodding. "Right. I don't know why I look like her. I wish I didn't," she said, looking to both Stefan and Damon.

Aurora whistled. "Okay, fine. I don't like it either, but it's not your fault you have her face. I can let that one go." She turned to Damon. "And what about _you_? You're trying to get Katherine back, aren't you? Great. Oh, that's just rich. You're trying to get into the tomb and release the bitch who started all of this. I can't _believe_ you, Damon!"

Damon didn't say anything. Aurora could rant for however long she wanted, but he would not talk about Katherine. Not to Aurora.

"And _you_, Stefan? Are you trying to let innocent people die? You know what happens if Damon opens the tomb right?"

"I know."

"Then why the _hell _aren't you trying to stop him?" she roared back at him. They were being so calm about all of this. Did they not realize that releasing Katherine meant releasing 20 plus vampires as well?

Damon raised his hand, amused. "I'll take this one, Stefan. He has been, actually. Whining and moaning. But it doesn't matter what he does or what he says, Aurora. Just like it doesn't matter what you say."

"And what does that mean?" she asked him, defiantly.

The smirk fell and so suddenly that it scared the crap out of Elena and Bonnie, who stood behind Stefan, Damon had Aurora pinned against their living room wall. His hand squeezed her neck, but she wasn't frightened by this version of Damon. This was the Damon she had been expecting all along. Violent. Crude. Barbaric.

"Do yourself a favor, Rora. Leave."

Bonnie watched helplessly and pleaded with Stefan to make Damon stop. She understood that Aurora might be able to hold her own as a vampire, but the sight was too much for her. "Make him stop, Stefan!"

Stefan turned to the witch and told her simply, "She'll be fine. I wouldn't let anything happen to her."

Hearing this, Damon dropped Aurora. The girl fell delicately to the ground, landing on her feet. He didn't turn around to look at Stefan. He couldn't face him and he didn't even want to look at Aurora. Contrary to what they both thought of him, he wasn't a complete bastard. He wouldn't hurt Aurora if he didn't have to.

Suddenly, Aurora laughed. "Bullshit."

Damon and Stefan looked at their Vampire sister, confused. "What, Aurora?" Stefan asked.

"I said, bullshit. You wouldn't let anything happen to me? You _made_ me this way, Stefan. And you _both_ abandoned me when I _needed _you. So don't you say that you wouldn't let anything happen to me. You didn't let me die when I should have, you picked a manipulative bitch over me, you didn't stop me over a decade ago." The girl stood by the door that would lead her the way out. "You want to know why I came back here, right Damon?"

The oldest Salvatore said nothing.

"I came back, because I needed to know that there was something worth living for. I don't have an Elena. And I'm not pining over a Katherine, either. Instead, all I have is you two." She opened the door. "I guess I got what I was looking for."

And then she was gone.

Damon and Stefan looked at each other. "Don't even say it, Stefan," Damon warned him.

"We have to help her."

Damon sighed. "You had to say it."

* * *

**La da da. And that's it for now. Hopefully you guys liked this and you'll let me know what you're most looking forward to seeing...maybe you want me to finally toss Jeremy in? ;)  
Thanks for reading! Reviews are very much appreciated!**


	4. Chapter 4

**So...I'm living in VA right now and for some odd reason we've had the worst amount of snow accumulation in a hundred years. Did I mention that I hate snow? Sigh. The only bright side is that I've gotten out of four days of school. I guess that's why I've been able to update so much more than I have in the past. :) Anyways, a special thanks to...**

babyshan211, StefansSoon2BeWife, TriGemini, Danielle Salvatore, ledgerloverx3, KJCullenHatterSalvitoreBloome, Dawnie-7, 'loha, JennaLeigh, OhxNo Its Zo, **and** doodlechick12

**I really appreciated all of your lovely reviews, each one made me smile. And I'm hoping that you guys like this update. And if not...send me some pointers in a review? ;)**

* * *

"Congratulations. You found me."

Aurora turned around to face her older brothers. She had her arms crossed, with her bag sitting at her feet. She didn't want to look at them right now. She knew exactly what they were doing. They felt guilty. Or at least Stefan felt guilty. Damon she wasn't so sure of. That boy used to have a heart of gold, would've done anything for his family. Now she knew that if he had to choose between Katherine and her, she'd be dead faster than she could blink.

Stefan looked to Damon, who refused to acknowledge the look at all. "Aurora...what you said, about looking for something to live for. What did you mean by that?"

If she was human, if she was nothing more than a fifteen year-old girl, there would be nothing to do but cry. But she couldn't cry. All she could do was try to hold her own against the only men in her life, her own blood. A part of her wanted to die. Another part wanted to kill them. A much larger part of her just wanted to be wanted.

"Don't be stupid, Stefan. I said exactly what I meant. I need to know if there is something, anything, worth living for. You have _it_. You have Elena, the bitch reincarnated."

Stefan's lips settled into a firm line. "I knew you weren't really okay with it."

Her temper flared. "Of course I'm not okay with it! She looks _exactly _like Katherine, Stefan! How in God's name am I supposed to be okay with that?" She was seething, pacing back and forth like a mad woman. "When I look at her, Stefan, all I can think about is hurting her. I want to hurt her, Stefan."

He tensed and she stopped pacing.

"Relax. Jesus, I'm not going to lay a finger on her, alright? But I don't like it. I don't like her. I'm never going to like her."

Stefan looked to the ground and finally shook his head slowly. "Fine."

Damon scoffed, garnering the attention of both siblings. "Fine? Fine? _Fine_. Yeah, that's the word. Everything's all sunshine and rainbows around here. Oh, wait. That's not exactly true. You see, Rora, I don't really care why you came back. I never really cared whether we saw each other again. Let's face it, Stefan. She's being the same drama queen she's always been. Let's just turn around now and we can pretend like she was never here."

"Damon!"

"No, Stefan. At least the bastard's being honest. If I take off this handy-dandy ring right here and decide to take an afternoon stroll, neither one of you would care. God damn it!" She wanted to scream, she wanted to hunt and kill something. Someone. "I hate you, Stefan. I hate you for making me this way. I hate you for being the only reason why I can't just kiss this damned life goodbye. And I hate _you_, Damon."

"Why's that, little one?" he asked her without a smirk. He was having a hard time pretending like he didn't care.

She picked up her bag, tossing it over her body. "Because." She ripped the chain that dangled from her neck and threw it at their feet. "Because you promised to protect me. Because you said you'd always be there for me. Because you're my brother, but you're not anymore. Because I missed you and you just never cared."

She turned her back on them and started to walk away. Over her shoulder, because she heard the step Stefan took towards her, she said, "Don't follow me."

Stefan watched her walk away as Damon kneeled to the ground to pick up her ancient locket. He opened it and stared at the two pictures that lay within. On the left was a photo of himself and on the right was a photo of Stefan. She hadn't been lying. He and Stefan really were the two closest to her heart.

For some reason, that bit of knowledge hurt him much more than Stefan's betrayal all those years ago.

He gripped the locket and stood again. Stefan glared at him uncharacteristically and went to walk away. Damon stopped him by grabbing his arm. "Hey," he said with a serious tone. "You were right."

"What do you mean?"

Damon shoved the locket into his pocket and nodded in the direction Aurora had left. "We have to help her."

* * *

Aurora left her brothers behind in half hopes that they would follow her. They hadn't, of course they hadn't, but she wasn't too broken up by it. They were Salvatores, determined and devoted. But so stupid when it really counted. She sighed in her heart and felt for the locket that no longer hung from her neck. It was a long time since she had felt this emotion. Sadness. It was tearing her apart.

Mystic Falls was her home. Or it had been once upon a time. Maybe the real truth was that she was homeless. There was no one who loved her the way Damon - God knows why - loved Katherine. The way Stefan loved Elena. There was no place that made her feel at home. There was no one.

All around her there was happiness radiating. She felt it from the Katherine clone, from Stefan. Even from that Bonnie girl. She felt it in many of these Mystic Falls' natives. She even felt it in many of the nomadic vampires she'd met. She just wished she could feel, _know, _that same happiness.

* * *

"Bonnie?"

Bonnie looked up from the book she was pretending to read. "So you do want to talk about it then?" She closed the book and waited for Elena to go on.

"It's just...well, I know that Aurora's not really okay with me looking like Katherine and I guess I get it, but is it weird if I feel bad for her?" Elena looked down, somewhat unsure of what to make of the Salvatore clan's drama-fest.

Bonnie frowned. "You feel bad for her?"

"Yeah. I mean, Damon and Stefan obviously haven't had anything to do with her in years and they obviously don't get along. It's just sad, I guess."

"Damon and Stefan don't get along either," Bonnie pointed out to her.

"But that's different. They loved the same person. Aurora's their sister, though. I mean, what could've been so bad that even Stefan's not on good terms with her?"

* * *

_It was 1985. __She'd left at times and he'd left at times. Neither one of them was perfect and at times it was just plain infuriating. They had enrolled as siblings mostly, until people started to notice they'd never change. Then they'd leave again and pick new names. They'd stay for as long as they could before they'd leave all over again. Always leaving, always pretending. _

_But at least they had each other. It was true, sometimes his unwillingness to bite human flesh pissed her off. He was too holier-than-thou and all she really wanted was to be as strong as him. But she couldn't be stronger than him. No one was stronger than him. _

_"Stefan," she asked him once. "Are we ever going to stop running?"_

_He put his books down and kneeled down to re-tie his All-Star hi-tops. "You already know the answer to that."_

_"Well...can't we just go home? Please?"_

_He didn't move. "Don't, Aurora. We can never go back to Mystic Falls."_

_"But - "_

_"No. We can't go back. Mystic Falls is our past. And if you want a future, you've got to realize that now. There's nothing to go back to anyway. Everyone else is gone. Just...just let go."_

_"Because you have?"_

_He sighed. "At least I'm trying."_

* * *

She sat down on a bench as the sun started to depart. She glaned up. It looked like it was going to rain. She didn't care. The rain meant many things. To some it symbolized sadness, to others it represented cleansing. But to Aurora it was nothing more than the rain. Just water drops of misery and mirth.

She felt someone sit down next to her. She looked at him. He was young, very young. Maybe older than her, technically, but still very young. She was taken aback by how beautiful he was, though. It even surprised her how absolutely breathtaking he was. She'd never known a human to look the way he did.

She tried very hard to resist the urge to ask him his name. She didn't have to.

He turned to her and smiled warily. "Hey...so, I'm Jeremy."

She smiled a toothy grin back. "Hi. I'm Aurora. I'm sorta new around here. Um. Are you waiting for someone?"

He nodded. "Yeah, my sister's supposed to pick me up in a couple of minutes...but, what do you mean by sort of?"

Aurora shrugged. "I haven't decided if I'm going to stay yet."

"Won't your parents make you stay?" he asked her with a tiny hint of a laugh.

She shook her head. "They died."

His smile died away. "Oh." He didn't say 'I'm sorry' and for this she was surprised again. He was unusual for a boy his age.

"It's okay, you don't have to feel bad. It was a very long time ago."

He looked as if he wanted to say something, but wasn't sure if he should. For a few moments, he didn't. Then, he said to her, "My parents died, too. Car accident."

She could see the pain in his eyes, even as he tried to hide it. "I know you don't want me to say it, but I'm sorry. I know how much it hurts."

Silence.

"So, I know that you don't know me or anything, but um, maybe you could show me around sometime? Maybe give me a reason to stick around?" Aurora wasn't sure why she was giving this human boy the thumbs up. She never did to anyone else. She avoided making nice with any human. They were meals, not friends.

Jeremy took out his cell phone, prompting her to take out her own. She took out the last one she'd bought, a cheap thing from a gas station about twenty miles away. They switched numbers just as a car pulled up on the opposite side of the road. Jeremy stood and Aurora glanced to the vehicle. She could see through the window to the girl behind the wheel.

Who she saw made the evil demon in her angry.

It was Elena.

* * *

**And that's all folks! Hahaha. Kidding, kidding. Well, okay. I'm not kidding. XD. But! There will be more if you want me to write more. ;) Also, if you're looking for a Bonnie/Damon fic, I've started writing one. There's only one chapter up right now, but if you want more, I'm happy to write more. Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**It's weird. I don't update for almost two months and out of nowhere my fingers just started typing away. Post after post after post. I think it's just the summer thing. Either way, I might have all complete statuses by the end of July. Who knows? Anyways, having just updated my Damon/Bonnie fic, I figured it was a good time to update this one. I've been putting heavy focus on Aurora since she is the reason there even is a story, but I'm going to try and add in scenes between everyone else as well. **

**As always, I have to thank everyone who reviewed: **_TriGemini, Dawnie-7, ginamaria, JennaLeigh, StefansSoon2BeWife, Kryptonian250, babyshan211, KJ-Vampires-RBBs, k8ex10, Forkz94, Bonnie4eva x, supernaturalobsessed, Rachie81, Lalaith Quetzalli, TwilightRocks, singergurlxoxo, _**and**_ Melbookgrl. _**Thank you guys so much!**

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_When he opened the door to a greeting of a backpack and a light duffel, he was only marginally surprised. He knew that someday this would happen. It was only a matter of when and where. Closing the door behind him, he didn't have to wait long for her to show. _

_He stared her down. "You're leaving."_

_She shrugged, only slightly, as she went for the backpack. She made herself busy, checking for everything she needed. Talking without looking at him made leaving easier. "Yeah, I'm leaving."_

_"Can I ask why?"_

_She sighed. "No, Stefan. You can't. You already know why."_

_He was silent for a moment, and it was this silence of his that prompted her to go on. _

_"We've been doing this for too long. Hi, I'm Amber. Hi, I'm Lauren. Brooke. Tracy. Lucy. Hannah. How many names have we burned through, Stefan? How many towns? How many times are we going to pick up and leave and act as if it's all fine? I'm tired of this. I'm tired of introducing myself to the same people with different faces. I'm tired of being someone I'm not. And I get it," she continued. Standing. "I know that we have to leave. But just _once_, Stefan. Just _once_, I'd like to walk up to someone and say...hello. My name is Aurora Salvatore." _

_"I'm sorry, Rora. I am. But if we want to survive, it has to be this way." _

_She shook her head, opposing him in an unusually fierce way. "No. _No_. It doesn't have to be this way. Father said that in times of darkness, we should follow our light - that it will always guide us to the place where we belong. Home. All I want is to go home, Stefan. Just for a few years."_

_"Father's dead, Aurora. And even if he wasn't, we can't go home. Mystic Falls is _not _our home."_

_She refused to listen to him, instead grabbing her bags and walking past him to the door. "You're wrong, brother. Someday you'll realize that." She opened the door, before giving him one last look. She reached up to her locket and toyed with it for just a moment. "You know, Stefan. I never asked for this life."_

_"I never wanted this for you," he told her. _

_She painfully whispered to him, "Then why'd you do it?" A question that had always been at the surface of her thoughts. She's just been too afraid to say it. _

_Her expression mirrored his. "I was afraid of being alone."_

_"You didn't have to turn me for that, brother. You will always be alone. In your heart. Until you finally let someone in."_

_The pain was unbearable, but he couldn't turn it off. Not now. Instead, he let the fury in him take over. "Weren't you leaving?"_

_She half-smiled at him. "Y'know, Stefan. Not once did you ask me to stay." _

_As the door clicked behind her, he realized she was right. Lodged in her exit was a plea for him to reach out to her, to be the protector he once was. Eternity was slowly turning her mad and all she wanted was the reassurance that he would be at her side, through the darkness and the light. It was a test, he realized. A simple test that he had failed miserably. _

_"I'm sorry, Aurora." _

* * *

"Well, well. Twice in two days. This must really be a small town." She smiled at the boy she'd met less than twenty-four hours ago as he returned it, but to a lesser degree.

It wasn't much of a coincidence. She was exploring her old home, he was skipping school. They were in the cemetery. And it was the setting that slightly through off the romantic angle of their very new, sort-of friendship. Jeremy waved awkwardly, because he thought he'd be alone.

He half-sighed, half-laughed as she approached him. "I bet you think I'm super weird for hanging out in a cemetery."

She raised her eyebrow in mock surprise. "Who? Me? Oh, no. This is my favorite place to party, actually."

He coughed awkwardly as memories crept up into his mind. "That's, um, funny. So, you're...Aurora, right?"

"Yeah. Aurora."

"There a last name attached or is it just - "

She looked at him curiously, wondering if he knew what his sister obviously did. "Well, the cat's gonna come out of the bag sometime soon anyway. I'm Damon and Stefan's younger sister. The name is Aurora Salvatore. You can just call me Rory, if you want. Or Rora. My name's so...old-fashioned. It's lame, I know."

He hadn't heard any of that. He was still hooked on "Damon and Stefan's younger sister". In shock, he could hardly process what she had said without looking like he'd just heard the worst news of his life.

"_You _are Stefan and Damon's _sister_?"

"Unfortunately."

He whistled. "Wow. I can't believe they had a sister."

"Have," she corrected. "They _have _a sister. Though, they seem to have forgotten to mention that little detail. It would seem that I'm not important enough to be brought up in conversation. Even though he's lovesick for your sister. It's...it's whatever, y'know? I guess we're just not as close as I thought we were."

"Ouch. That sucks."

She laughed. "You said it."

"So, what's the deal with you guys anyway? It's almost like you guys all showed up alone."

She silently wondered how Elena's younger brother could be so perceptive, especially when she had laid down their sibling problems so casually. "Well, Damon and Stefan have always been close. They're closer in age, y'know. Well, closer than me. Stefan's seventeen and a half. Damon's twenty-three. So, Damon and me? We just - we never had anything in common. He left for college when I was nine. And then our parents died. And - " She broke off. "It's a boring story. Ancient history."

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," he said, looking into her chocolate-brown eyes.

Smiling, she stretched her arms up towards the sky and shook her head. "Maybe some other time."

He nodded, before leading her out of the cemetery. As they walked he turned to her and asked quickly, before he could lose his nerve, "So, are you busy tonight?"

A genuine smile made its way to her lips as she girlishly fluttered her eyelashes. "What do you have in mind?"

* * *

"Jeremy! I got dinner!" Elena called from the front door as she closed it behind her. When she didn't hear a response, she shifted the pizza box in her hands around and made her way deeper into the house. "Jeremy?"

The boy in question finally ventured downstairs to meet his sister. With a grin she hadn't seen in a while, he asked her what she wanted. She shook the pizza box and asked him if he was hungry. When he laughed at her, she questioned him with a slight laugh as well.

"What's funny?"

He pointed to the empty box next to her feet. "Looks like we had the same idea."

Elena rolled her eyes in amusement. "Well, then. I guess more for me!" At this declaration, she noticed someone out of the corner of her eye. "Aurora?" she asked, confused. "What are you doing here?"

Jeremy glanced back and forth between the two girls, wondering if there was any animosity between them. He waited silently before Aurora gave her a small, tentative smile. It didn't look quite friendly enough to be completely sincere, but he noted that there was obvious tension between them - for whatever reason.

"Your brother invited me inside," she told her. There was a double meaning hidden within that Elena instantly picked up on. Elena tilted her head and shook her head, explaining in the gesture that she didn't think that she would hurt Jeremy at all.

"Oh. Well, I'm going to eat upstairs. So, if you guys want to hang out down here - "

Jeremy smiled his thanks and Aurora nodded as well.

"Thank you," the younger girl said to her. Elena placed two slices of pepperoni on a plate and grabbed a soda out of the fridge as she went to shuffle past the younger teens. Before she could slide out, however, Aurora lightly grasped her arm and whispered to her, "I want to talk to you. Tomorrow."

Elena shot her a look of confusion, but the girl shook her head. After a moment's hesitation, she continued out of the kitchen and up the stairs. Jeremy missed the interaction as he grabbed yet another slice of pizza.

"Do you want some?" he asked her. "You didn't even have a slice of the one I ordered."

She shook her head no. "Really, I'm fine. I'm just really not hungry."

He shrugged. "If you say so."

Her thoughts were occupied with Katherine's clone and her older brothers. "I do."

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**Alright-y. Finally got an update done. Heh. If you like, I encourage you to tell me. I'll definitely work on an update. :) **


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